Fast Food Jause

Location:Paelleria d'Urquinaona
Website:https://www.artespanol.com/los-gomez-restaurant
Address:Plaza Urquinaona 14, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
Status:Open (last checked on 6 January 2019)
Eaten:"Tabla Embutidos y Queso," bread with tomato, two beers, Churros con Chocolate, an espresso

Having spent the day trying to find good food in Barcelona… What do you mean, I am an idiot? Try yourself on an official holiday, making sure it coincides with a Sunday as well. Walk from the Urquinaona metro station to Sagrada Família and then further to the Park Güell; then spend the late afternoon in the Barceloneta district and share with me any good place you can find (the e-mail link is at the bottom of this page). The establishments I passed by were either totally touristic or disgustingly-looking. The only exception was a Catalan restaurant not far from the park, but it was totally filled with celebrating locals.

Thus, having spent the day trying to find good food in Barcelona, I went into the Paelleria as the last resort, having spotted a mixed meat/cheese board on the menu (which showed the dishes’ pictures in a true touristic tradition). According to their web site, the Paelleria is a small chain of three restaurants (at the time of writing), and I took it for a Spanish version of McDonald’s at first, so quick-foodish it looked. A3 paper menus serving as tablecloths and everything. What distinguished it from a McDonald’s immediately was a gut-punchingly loud music. I very much doubt it was Spanish, but I felt every drum beat inside me up to the end of my first beer. The beer really helped.

Like the “Brettljause” of Casa Alfonso, the board of the Paelleria was ridiculously expensive: cheaper than Alfonso’s, but neither as varied nor as good. A total disaster it was not, however. The Jamón was perfectly fine, and the Salchichón Ibérico, which is a kind of salami, probably tasted great but was just not to my liking. Morcilla de Burgos seems to be the Spanish equivalent of a Blutwurst, but the addition of rice, onions and spices turned it into something much more bearable and even enjoyable. The sausage often fell into pieces when touched with a fork, and eating it with a sweet cracker provided with the dish was a very interesting and tasty combination. Funnily, like is often the case with a Blutwurst, the Morcilla was served with the skin that one had to remove before biting. Sobrasada Mallorquina was something for which I would be hard pressed to find an Austrian equivalent. Looking very much like a sausage, it had in fact the consistency of a spread, like a pre-chewed and not very strong chorizo. Weird at first, but very good.

The Manchego cheese does not need explanation – it is welcome on every Brettljause, and all by itself as well. There was also one other type of cheese, served on a toothpick, dipped in olive oil and with an olive. While good in that way, I doubt the cheese had any particular taste without the above additions.

When I started to write this review a few minutes ago, I intended to give this dish an average rating of 5, but as I am recalling the experience, I feel it deserves a bit more, particularly compared with the uninspiring Austrian Brettljausen that have earned the same average score. However, the fast-food-like ambiance of the Paelleria is really off-putting, even though the service is friendly. Plus, 19 euros is quite a lot to pay for a few slices of cheese and sausage, no matter how great they are.

3.0

Brettljause
Variety
Authenticity
Size
Atmosphere/service
Value

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